Even if an individual consumes ground beef which is half fat and half lean and which holds significant calories, they will only gain pounds if their total daily energy values exceed the amount used by the body.

Fatty Animal Proteins Contribute to State of Health Over Time

However, animal proteins - specifically red meats have been shown in numerous health studies to contribute to heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, circulatory disease and other health ills when consumed over time. They also contribute to ageing.

These are excellent reasons why they should be limited - or even replaced with healthier vegetable proteins. Rather than a serving of fatty red meat, a serving of pinto beans along with whole grain cornbread makes a much healthier choice.

What do the beans have that is missing in the meat? Dietary fiber which assist the gut in ridding harmful toxins from the body.

What does the meat have that is missing in the beans? Lots of unhealthy fat, including saturated and Trans fat.

Even where animal proteins are involved, they can be made healthier. Rather than enjoying 6 ounces of red meat, limit the serving size to 2-3 ounces. Rather than battering and frying the meat, use healthier cooking methods such as pan or oven roasting or grilling.

The average American overweight male consumes more than five times the animal proteins than his grandfather.

Fat Grams in Ground Beef

Let's look at the following ground beef examples to see how lean and fat can either work for and against weight loss. We are basing the data on raw meat.

Percentage of Lean Meat

100 Grams, Total Fat Grams

4 Ounces Total Fat Grams

1 Pound, Total Fat Grams

70% Lean, 30% Fat

30.00

34.02

136.08

80% Lean, 20% Fat

20.00

22.68

90.72

90% Lean, 10% Fat

10.00

11.34

45.36

95% Lean, 5% Fat

21.41

24.28

97.12

Fat Grams in Cooked Ground Beef

Percentage of Lean Meat

100 Grams, Total Fat Grams

4 Ounces Total Fat Grams

1 Pound, Total Fat Grams

70% Lean, 30% Fat

17.85

20.24

80.97

80% Lean, 20% Fat

17.35

19.68

78.70

90% Lean, 10% Fat

12.04

13.65

54.61

95% Lean, 5% Fat

7.58

8.60

34.38

Calories in Raw Ground Beef

Percentage of Lean Meat

100 Grams KCALS

4 Ounces KCALS

1 Pound KCALS

70% Lean, 30% Fat

332

377

1506

80% Lean, 20% Fat

254

288

1152

90% Lean, 10% Fat

176

199

798

95% Lean, 5% Fat

137

155

621

Calories in Cooked Ground Beef

Percentage of Lean Meat

100 Grams KCALS

4 Ounces KCALS

1 Pound KCALS

70% Lean, 30% Fat

270

306

1225

80% Lean, 20% Fat

272

308

1234

90% Lean, 10% Fat

230

261

1043

95% Lean, 5% Fat

193

218

875

Did you see that? Using 95% lean ground beef in your next hamburger can slash calories and fatty acids significantly.

Fast food hamburgers, tacos and other menu selections which are prepared with ground beef could be decreased substantially in calorie values and harmful lipids if fat ground beef were used in these menu items.

Even the leanest grind of ground beef is exceptionally rich in lipids. A grind which is 95% lean have the following fat distribution.

Ground Beef is Rich in Protein Grams

Four ounces of raw ground beef produces a serving size of about three ounces when cooked. In its raw state it contains about 25 grams of protein. It also holds about 20 µg's of selenium, 2.53 µg's of Vitamin B-12, over 6 milligrams of niacin and hints of Vitamin E.

Zinc Values, Little Variance Between Fat Percentages

Ground beef is a good source for zinc benefits. If we take note of our data chart below we can readily see that the percentage of fat contained in ground beef has very minimal impact on the zinc content. This vital element is located within the meat itself rather than in the fatty substances. Three ounces of raw 95% lean contains 4.33 milligrams of zinc - so the mineral values are impacted in a very minimal way.